Many mechanical devices are often constructed using a number of mechanical components which are combined and configured to obtain the resultant mechanical device. Often, one or more mechanical components may be machined from a component created using a cast, mold, or similar hardware. Thus, to fabricate a newly designed mechanical component, new casting hardware often needs to be created for purposes of obtaining a casted component capable of being machined into the designed mechanical component. Due to manufacturability rules or requirements (e.g., based on design for manufacturability (DFM) principles), the casted component may also require some excess material, or machine stock, in various locations to facilitate machining. That said, a cast that provides more excess material than needed undesirably increases material costs. At the same time, creating casting hardware that does not provide sufficient material and does not satisfy manufacturability requirements represents a sunk cost. Thus, designers often devote an undesirable amount of time to ensuring the casting hardware will achieve sufficient machine stock while minimizing material costs. However, the efficacy of the manual optimization of the casting hardware will vary depending on the skill and experience of the designer, while also being prone to human error. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a means for designing and creating casting hardware that satisfies design for manufacturability objectives in a reliable and efficient manner.